Archive for the ‘Running’ Category

Imagine… 200 miles…. 33 hours… 12 member team running through the Arizona desert for a cause! Well that’s the Ragnar Del Sol Relay that takes place on February 24-25, 2011. The Ragnar Del Sol Relay stretches from Wickenburg to Tempe, AZ. I am joining Arizona Youth Partnership’s twelve member team will be participating in the relay to keep resources available for under-served communities.

What is Ragnar?

The Ragnar Relay is a 200 mile relay race from Wickenburg to Tempe with 12 runners per team. It begins on Friday, February 24th in the morning and the ends on Saturday, February 25th in the afternoon. Each runner runs 3 legs of the race that range from 3.5 to 9 miles and vary in difficulty.

Why?

Together we are raising money for Arizona Youth Partnership’s (AzYP) Basic Center Program for Homeless youth in rural Arizona. Arizona is ranked 4th in the nation for families living in poverty. AzYP has recently taken steps to secure community support and funding for a Basic Center in Kingman, Arizona. This program is designed to prevent homelessness by providing a temporary shelter for youth ages 12-18 who are in crisis.

How can you help?

One of the ways that I am helping with this is raising $500. Every tax deductible donation will go directly to support Arizona Youth Partnership’s Basic Center Program. Click here to go to my donation page. Also feel free to check out the goals of the Basic Center Program below and my “Runner Profile” for this years race.

The goals of the program are:

1) Provide emergency shelter and services to runaway and homeless youth (RHY) and their families.
2) Provide outreach, support services, and referrals to youth at-risk for runaway or homelessness.

Race Profile

Like Ragnar, fun is the name of the game… this profile reflects that.

Name: Michael Miller

Nickname: Mike… or Dash Rawhide: Zippy McChafkins as a Cowboy

Runner #: 3

Amount of miles: 22.4 miles

Race History: In 1482 BC the a cultural phenomenon began on the island of Fartlek, where teams of twelve domesticated chinchillas were raced as a way to determine if the local tribe of the Saucony would stay on the north or south side of the island. What they feared the most was that they would anger the gods and usher in Ragnar-rok. Unbeknownst to them the local population of chinchillas didn’t enjoy running, but preferred sitting back and drinking daiquiris, and soon organized and moved to Key West. Having no way to determine what part of the island to live on, they decided the only option was to assemble teams of twelve to run around the full 210 mile circumference of the island and hope that would be enough to assuage the expectations of the island gods. What came from this tradition was the cultural race of Ragnar, which has been observed for the past 3,500 years. Betcha didn’t know.

Personal philosophy on running: Running with friends is far better than running with hungry lions.

What is your favorite running quote? To a runner, a side stitch is like a car alarm. It signifies something is wrong, but you ignore it until it goes away.

Why are you running the Ragnar? Because I love running, I love road trips and I love AZYP… I don’t know why I wouldn’t.

If you happen to drop your phone in a cattle guard, what is your strategy to get it out? Hire a chinchilla with the promise of a daiquiri to scamper down and grab it for me.

What is your greatest fear running Ragnar this year? I don’t know if I have any… possibly that I will have to run in denim

How will you pass time between each of your runs? Taking pictures, cheering on other runners and talking trash about how my van is better than the other van.

What is your training strategy? I’m training for a marathon the month before, so after that my goal is to keep up the training and get as many “kills” and zombie “kills” as possible.

Imagine: You are running 8 miles uphill at 6am. You receive a picture text of a wonderful breakfast that runners from the other van are eating. What do you do? Nothing, there are some people who can’t hang… I’m not so soft, and I have no problem running 8 miles uphill at 6am. Enjoy your breakfast, we’ll send you a picture of lunch .

Describe the feeling of finishing Ragnar. Have you ever seen the joy brought to a chinchilla if you buy them a daiquiri? Yeah it’s something like that.

At what mile will you regret signing up for this? Mile 42… but I wont have to run that far.

What do you like/dislike about running overnight? Not seeing the ground dip away when you are running on dirt trails, but when you look like someone out of Tron, it is all worth it.

What is your favorite Ragnar memory? Hands down it was progression of Andrew laying on the ground and the lost/retrieval of the phone from the clutches of a cattle guard. If I had a close second, it would be cheering Gauri on during the last leg, I loved her adamant perseverance and the camaraderie of a team that was going to cheer through any pain.

And Jonah stalkedto his shaded seat and waited for Godto come aroundto his way of thinking.And God is still waiting for a host of Jonahs in their comfortable houses to come around to his way of loving.

excerpt from Thomas Carlisle’s “You Jonah”

The past six/seven months have been packed with transition and learning, and I haven’t had the will or wisdom to write. Today while sitting at a Starbucks praying through a project at church and what it looks like to have a heart for missions I realized that much of “Thoughts from a Runner” really could be summed up by the book of Jonah.

One particular similarity knocked the feet from underneath me this morning…

The past eight years as I have grown deeper in my walk with God. I am beginning to see that this growth has been a constant process of God calling me to live a life on mission, me fighting it and then, through His amazing grace inviting, and molding, and shaping me to have his heart for the people around me.

Ministry at the University of Arizona

On Mission in Kazahkstan

Reaching College Students in Australia

Helping lost people find their way back to God in Tucson

What does this have to do with Jonah?

Jonah is such an amazing book because we can see God still working to teach, to reach his thick-skulled missionary with the truth of who He is and His heart for the nations. That the entire book of Jonah is about God working on Jonah’s heart. What I realized this morning is that, like Jonah, I can many time miss the point of the storm, the sailors, the fish, Nineveh and most importantly a gourd tree.

A gourd tree?

When I got back from Australia I was blessed, due to no real effort on my part, with the comfort of an amazing community.

At the end of the book of Jonah, after everything God has done, Jonah still doesn’t get this call to live a life on mission. God uses one more approach – the miraculous tree (Jonah 4:5-11). A climbing gourd springs up quickly, and offers Jonah protection against the beating sun. The community that I was a part of was totally God given and such a blessing. What we see in the story, is that as quickly as the tree grew it withers and dies, the victim of an attacking worm.

Jonah is… annoyed.

At that point God again turns to his missionary-student, using the tree as a lesson. The creator of heaven and earth, the God of human history, of wind and waves, who spoke the universe into being, who just miraculously redeemed and restored the entire city of Nineveh to himself, tenderly asks Jonah, “Are you really so angry about the tree?”

Jonah in anger and frustration responds: “Yes, angry enough to die.”

God’s response to such bitterness is so beautiful. Despite everything that has happened up to this point, He is still calling Jonah to join him on mission, to “his way of loving”:

“You are sorry and concerned about the tree, though you had nothing to do with growing it, a plant which came up in a night and withered in a night. My heart and concern is for the great city of Nineveh, with its 120,000 who cannot tell their right hand from their left.”

While I wasn’t aware of it until today, I have been quietly discontented and annoyed with God causing the comfort that I experienced with this community to wither away. Despite this, over the past few months I have experienced a tender questioning: “Are you really so angry that I took that community away? What about the city around you?”

If I’m honest my response to God has been at times just as mature as Jonah’s.

By God’s grace, however, I am growing not only an awareness, but a deep heartfelt sorrow and concern for the 1,020,000 people in the Tucson area who “do not know their right hand from their left.” Beginning to sincerely yearn to proclaim the gospel students at the University of Arizona. To share hope and good news with broken families in the foothills and South Tucson alike. To show God’s grace and love to the thousands of international refugees who call the Old Pueblo home. To join with other Christians to come alongside the numerous military families who currently call Tucson… home.

As God works on my heart, I am growing to care more about the rescue and redemption of those in the mission field that God has called me to than I do my comfort.

It has been a hard lesson, and this thick-skulled man is grateful for God’s forgiveness and grace, humbled by God’s provision as He has provides fellowship and community, and most of all, in awe of God’s tireless and tender call for me to join his missionary heart – to live a life focused and dedicated to “Helping lost people find their way back to God.”

Week 3* (16 Weeks to Go):

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

Rest

3 mi Run

4 mi Run

3 mi Run

Rest

Cross

5 mi Run

Last week I realized that the prospect of running on an injured leg was far from ideal. As I sat down and looked at my goals, I still want to aim for a challenging race in the fall, but I have a few more options if I need more time to recover.

In the mean time I am going to have a slightly different workout regiment. I’ll continue putting up the running training schedule, but I’ll also put the other things that I am doing.

Also for everyone out there Happy 4th of July!

ALTERNATIVE Week 3 (16 Weeks to Go):

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

Rest

Bike to Work

Lap Swim

Bike to Work

Rest

Lap Swim

Jog (30 mi)

*This plan is taken from halhigdon.com; if you need a site for training workouts, it’s where I turn.

What to do when the leg hasn’t healed

Sigh… over the past month I have been dealing with a pulled gracilis or adductor magnus… hip adductor … inner thigh. Over this last week I have tried walk/running with not much luck at all.

So what do you do when the body just won’t cooperate?

1. REST & RECOVERY

While it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that allowing your body to heal is a good idea, it is also the last thing many of us do. If you have remembered health class in High School or Middle School the classic RICE treatment formula has been slightly upgraded to PRICE:

Protection:If injured, stop playing and protect the injured part from further damage. Avoid putting weight on the injured part.

Rest: Rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. Resting the injured part is important to promote effective healing.

Ice: When icing an injury, choose a cold pack, crushed ice or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to provide cold to the injured area. Never apply ice directly to the skin and never leave ice on an injury for more than 20 minutes.

Compression: Compression helps limit and reduce swelling, which may delay healing. Some people also experience pain relief from compression. An easy way to compress the area of the injury is to wrap an ACE bandage around the swollen part. If you feel throbbing, or if the wrap just feels too tight, remove the bandage and re-wrap the area so the bandage is a little looser.

Elevation: Elevating an injury help control swelling. It’s most effective when the injured area is raised above the level of the heart. For example, if you injure an ankle, try lying on your bed with your foot propped on one or two pillows.

2. LOW IMPACT RECOVERY

Every time I go back to running my body isn’t ready, but I need to continue conditioning my muscles. Becuase of this I am switching to biking and swimming for the next few weeks. Both will continue to strengthen my legs, but they will also allow for the particular strain from running to have time to heal. I also need to swallow my pride and be okay with running at a slower pace as I heal.

3. RE-ASSESS GOALS

Over the next few weeks I am going to have to determine if it is feasible to train for the Mt. Lemmon Marathon. There are a few other events in the fall that I might switch my focus to, in order to allow my body the appropriate time to recover.

Week 2* (17 Weeks to Go):

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

Rest

3 mi Run

3 mi Run

3 mi Run

Rest

Cross

7 mi Run

*This plan is taken from halhigdon.com; if you need a site for training workouts, it’s where I turn.

I Pulled a Muscle

The training schedule I was keeping was a bit ambitious… actually it was considerably over ambitious. About two weeks ago I pulled my gracilis or adductor magnus and I tried running on it for another week or so. Not a good idea.

Taking a step back I am rethinking my training schedule and beginning an 18-week training program this Monday. I am training for the Mt. Lemmon marathon, but I am sure there are other marathons nearby if you want to train for another. If you decide to join in with the fun, let me know.

You will also notice that the distances and the intensity are lower than before.

Week 1* (18 Weeks to Go):

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

Rest

3 mi Run

3 mi Run

3 mi Run

Rest

Cross

6 mi Run

*This plan is taken from halhigdon.com; if you need a site for training workouts, it’s where I turn.

My friend, and fellow runner, Shasta was looking at yesterday’s post and asked about a strange workout that I had posted for yesterday “7 x 400.”

When it comes to running, I often just strap on the shoes listen to music and go in one direction for a really long time and then turn around. This habit might lead to comments about me being easily entertained, but it is easiest and most straightforward way to train. The benefits are huge and it is an awesome way to get into the sport.

As you keep going there are a couple of things that you can do to add variety and improve your running. The easiest to explain would be…

Intervals

Interval workouts are made up of a set of short, faster paced runs over fixed distances from 200 meters to one mile, interspersed with periods of light recovery jogging. Most of my runs are on a path, but these work far better on a high-school track.

There are a ton of different interval workouts, but they usually fall within three different categories:

Repeats– the distance of the repeating running segment does not change. The 7 x 400 is an example of this.

Ladders – the distance of the repeating running segments either steadily increases or decreases. This is like doing half of a pyramid (200, 400, 800)

Regardless of the type of interval training workout you do, they are really effective in helping improve speed on distances.

Some final interval training tips:

Make your life easy, no need for fancy equipment, Interval workouts are typically run on a track due to the ease of running predefined distances.

How fast should you run? Use a pace calculator to figure out how fast you need to run for your goal time.

Remember to do a recovery jog following your repeats. The distance should be half of your interval distance or more depending on whether you are a beginner or have some interval training experience. Don’t hurt yourself, and remember to drink lots of water.

A friend of mine recently told me that she was reading what I posted to help know how to train for one of her first races. It made me excited that my writing might help spur on another runner, then I realized that I haven’t written about running in ages.

As some things go, the timing on this realization isn’t all that bad.

A couple of weeks ago I began training for a marathon on October 23. As most of my thoughts on running come from personal experience, the highs and lows of this 21 week of training should prove fertile ground.

Starting Again

The past couple of months I have run casually and without much of a schedule or plan. It has been a season of relaxing and ease, one that I have thoroughly enjoyed… that is until I have started running again.

Distances that were once easy, leave me sore and exhausted. Joints and muscles have returned to a complaining that I thought I had become immune to. I find I have to remind myself again and again that this will become easier, and that my endurance will return once again.

I don’t mean to wax philosophical, but the odd thing about being a “runner” is that it is an identity tied to an activity. It simply is a person that runs.

A person can just as easily stop being one as one can start.

So let me know if you need any advice or encouragement. Also if you want to follow along with training, or to join me for the marathon on 10/23, I’ll be posting the workouts online here as well.